I second All The Whey. Great brand, reasonable prices.
Increase calories until you start putting on more weight. If you put on more fat than you want cut the calories back. Don't be afraid of a little body fat; it's nearly impossible to gain muscle without gaining some fat. You can lose it easily later on.
Creatine is found in red meat. Eat enough steak and you can reach supplement dosage levels. Creatine does add water weight, in a ratio of about 1:4 creatine to water. The increased muscle size will give a lever advantage when lifting and usually adds a few (but only a few) pounds to some of your lifts. Creatine really shines when we discuss its ability to prevent muscle loss due to inactivity. I've heard it now recommended to athletes who are injured to prevent the normal size and strength loss you would get from having a joint immobilized. In the end creatine is one of the very, very few supplements that has some real science backing it up.
The cardio could be impacting your muscle gains. One way to manage this would be to focus on your lifting while just maintaining your current cardio level. Don't add miles to your run while trying to add pounds to the bar. Pick the one you want to focus on and don't try to progress on the other. After some time switch the two.
Good Calories vs Bad Calories: Eat enough of the healthiest damn thing on the planet and you will gain fat. High-quality protein powder is not a junk food. However, it's better to get your protein from a variety of sources so don't limit your protein intake to just powder scraped out of a plastic jug. Avoid overly processed (read: nutrient sparse) foods and avoid trans fats. Eat free-range meats and eggs from cage-free birds. Make sure you get enough fat in your diet, both saturated and mono unsaturated.
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Originally Posted by cadre
One of the reasons I dislike musclemilk for instance is that it has so many bad calories. And by this I mean calories from sugars and saturated fats. Those will not help you.
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Saturated fats are not bad for you. They are actually required for a healthy hormone balance. It should be consumed in moderation but not ignored.
Muscle Milk is a great brand. They actually designed their shakes to pattern the nutrient ratios found in human breast milk. Think about the logic behind this; it's beautiful. The one food that, by itself, can support a human in growing to many times of his/her original size ... wait for it ... breast milk! Someone figured this might be a good mix for a person wanting to add muscle later in life. The logic isn't flawless but it's pretty nonetheless.
If you're concerned about eating animal-based saturated fats go out and buy some organic coconut milk. Pure saturated fat and it makes a protein shake taste like heaven.